Tuesday, February 3, 2015

The right garage door can really pull together the overall style of your home and give it harmonious character. It’s often a subtle choice between doors that add to your curb-appeal or don’t, so here’s some quick starter tips for finding the perfect fit.

Assess Your Home

Before choosing a style, it’s helpful to survey your home and make a short list of it’s overall characteristics. Do you have a Tudor with board-and-batten-look siding? A brick 70’s ranch? A gingerbread-decked Victorian? A stucco villa? A boxy 60’s contemporary? A tidy Colonial?

Pay particular attention to windows and doors. Do you have square or arched openings? Are there any defining architectural details like muntin bars or leaded-glass decorative panes? Echoing the basic look of your windows and doors can really help your decision.

Basic Garage Door Types

Your neighborhood is probably full of traditional raised panel doors. They are typically made of steel or aluminum and can be insulated for better energy efficiency. This style of garage door blends well with many homes, though probably best with Colonial and Ranch styles. Possible customizations include windows in the top or second panel and a variety of colors.

Carriage house doors have become increasingly popular for many types of homes, though they work best in multiple garage door openings or with homes suggesting Mediterranean, Cottage, Victorian or Tudor styles. Carriage house doors can be made of wood or steel and have either a stained wood or painted finish. Possible customizations are almost limitless, including a wide variety of windows and trim options.

Contemporary doors are the rarest type and work best with custom homes built in an avant-garde or very clean-lined “modern” style. They are often made of glass and aluminum. There are not many customizations available for these types of doors since they tend to be a customization by their very nature.

Whatever you choose, we’ll be happy to give you a written estimate for the next step in acquiring your new door!

About the Author: Lauren Turner is a former construction contractor turned wife and mother of two (so far). Her daily collection of duties and pleasures range from diaper duty to researching experimental concrete surfaces and everything in between. She is delighted to discover there is a place for her blogging skills and hopes her own garage benefits from all she learns.